An After Thought
by ozxiii
Summary: "You know, you may be me, but you're definitely you." "what?" "don't think too hard on that, It wouldn't suit you." The beginning to Yoh and Hao's relationship after Hao is crowned king. One shot. Sort of Prequel to 'To be King'


**A/N: This is the first thing I ever wrote for Shaman King. This was like, years ago, so it's pretty bad. But I was feeling nostalgic and I'm a sucker for sentimental stuff. Anyway, when i wrote this, i originally had a whole story in mind for it, but after reading it now, I think I like it better the way it is. I may or may not change my mind on that though, so there's a chance that I might add to this - but please, bdon't get your hopes up. **

**anyway, enjoy. And I hope you'll accept this as an apology for not updating everything else that I've been working on. I swear, I'm just so busy.**

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><p><em>Yoh<em>

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><p>What surprised me wasn't the fact that Hao had won.<p>

It was the fact that everything was just as we had left it.

I blink-twice- wasn't Hao's dream to kill all humans?

_Yes it is._

Then- wait. What was that?

Anna had been lenient. She allowed us all a break (only today, but it was something) since we had come back from the continent of Mu. The Shaman fight was over. I had lost. Everyone had accepted that.

But I hadn't. Not quite yet.

It wasn't because I wasn't crowned king. It wasn't because Hao was crowned king.

It was because Hao wasn't there anymore.

After he had won, the Patch took him away again. Hao then threw us all out of the great spirit and he said he'd let me live my life. He said that _wouldn't take my soul_.

But I hadn't expected him to… well, leave everything the way it was… which brings me back, full circle.

I was alone, staring at the clouds.

Did a voice in my head- but not my own - just speak to me?

_Yeah. It did._

There it is again.

"Uwah! What's going on, am I crazy?" I bolted up right, grabbing my head and holding it in my hands. I didn't feel any pain or anything… it just felt so weird… something was _in my head_.

"I wouldn't take it that far. I just thought I'd put some thoughts into your head. You know, try out all this Great Spirit stuff… and the omnipotent power that comes with it."

I look up, wide eyed.

"Hao!"

A hand flies towards my mouth, clamping it shut. It's my own hand, but I know that it wasn't me that made the decision to shut my mouth. It was Hao.

"Shush. I'm still new at this you know. I can't control _everything_ quite yet…"

"What're you-"

"I can't see if my Otouto is doing well? Yoh, becoming God doesn't mean I'm without my family."

Family. Hao called me _family_.

I look up at Hao again. He lets me drop my hand from my mouth… I can see… he's blushing…

"Yeah… about that…"

I frown. "What's wrong?"

He shakes his head. "It's nothing."

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><p>That was the first time Hao had opened up to me since our chat over coffee. It was strange.<p>

Hao said that he had won, but he hadn't gotten what he wanted. He told me that he did, in fact, end the world as we knew it, lived as King of a Shaman only world for a decade or two, but he didn't find the satisfaction he was after in that world. He told me that what he thought was his dream, wasn't actually his dream after all.

"then what is it?"

"I don't know. In the other world, I was just reminded of how I hated humans… feelings from a thousand years ago, but I didn't feel satisfied. It seemed everyone was happy, surrounded by nature and the stars instead of technology and what not… but then, I couldn't erase all the sad memories from some people's minds… it haunted me, knowing that these people felt the same grief I had once felt, but because of me… So, I kind of hit a restart button. And voila, everything is as it was right after the fight."

"oh."

"then again, what could you know? I'm sorry Yoh. I shouldn't have-"

"Shut up. I'm your brother. Brothers talk. So keep talking."

Hao laughs at me, and tells me how utterly cute it was of me. I pout, but that doesn't help my cause.

"You know, you may be me, but you're definitely you."

"what?"

"don't think too hard on that, It wouldn't suit you," he says and then vanishes.

"Hao, you idiot. Don't make up paradoxes like that," I mutter.

"Yoh? Who are you talking to?" I turn to see Horo Horo watching me.

"No one…" I say. Had Horo not seen Hao?

_They shouldn't know about me._

"okay… well, Anna wants you back inside. Dinner's ready," he tells me. I nod and I look around myself one last time before I follow Horo Horo into the house.

Had I imagined that talk with Hao just now?

_No._

Oh. Okay. Well…. You know how brothers talk and all…..

_Same time, same place, tomorrow night. Got it?_

Yeah. And I smile to myself.

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><p><strong>AN: So how was that? aha. **

**Please review!**


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